Royals Win Game 1 Over Mets In 14 Thrilling Innings

The 2015 World Series will shape up to be one of the best if not the best in MLB history and Game One is already one for the record books.

The New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals have not one a World Series in 30 years, but that will all change in a week and the way the first game was played on Tuesday, it may not be that easy to pick a winner.

The Mets sent Matt Harvey to the mound to face-off against Edinson Volquez and both pitchers took their teams into the sixth inning tied at 3-3.

Harvey was pitching on nine days rest and it showed early as he looked to be too rested and not as sharp with his pitches. On the first pitch of the game, Alcides Escobar hit a drive to left center field and it looked as if center fielder Yoenis Cespedes would track it down, but there was some sort of miscommunication between he and left fielder Michael Conforto and the ball fell between them as it actually hit Cespedes on the leg and careened past Conforto and back towards left field. Escobar, who was hustling out of the box, never stopped running as he made it around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to put the Royals up early 1-0. Harvey then retired the next two batters before giving up a two out walk. But he was able to induce a ground ball off the bat of Kendrys Morales to end the inning.

JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES

Volquez, with the knowledge that his father, Daniel Volquez, 63, had passed prior to the game, as reported by ESPN, he came out and retired the first eight Mets he faced before hitting Kelly Johnson with a pitch in the third inning. He then walked Curtis Granderson to put the tying run on second, but David Wright went down on strikes to end the threat. The elder Volquez, died of complications from heart disease in his native land of the Dominican Republic.

In the fourth, the Mets finally broke through as they tied the game at 1-1, on a sharp ground ball to third base, allowing Daniel Murphy to score. Murphy singled to open up the inning, his 17th hit in the postseason, then went to third on a single from Lucas Duda. Volquez was able to get out of the inning without further damage.

In the fifth and sixth innings, the Mets gained the advantage as they score a run in each inning to take a 3-1 lead on Granderson’s solo shot and Conforto’s sac fl scoring Cespedes from third.

But the never say die Royals came storming back as they added two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 3-3, on a sac fl and single to plate both runs.

The Mets regained the lead in the top of the eighth, when Juan Lagares singled with two outs and after stealing second base, he scored the go ahead run on Wilmer Flores‘ hot shot to first base. Royals Eric Hosmer played the ball on the side and it bounced off his glove for an error, allowing the run to score. The last time a run scored late in a World Series game on an error, was in 1986 in Game 6, when the ball trickled under the glove of Billy Buckner allowing Mookie Wilson to reach first and the winning run to score.

In the bottom half of the eighth, Ben Zobrist doubled off the right field wall off Mets relief pitcher Tyler Clippard. But the righty struck out the next two batters, and after walking Morales, Terry Collins brought in his super closer, Jeurys Familia and he induced a ground ball of the bat of Mike Moustakas to end the inning and keep the Mets in the lead.

In the ninth, David Wright had a one out single, but after stealing second base, the call was reversed as the umpires looked at the play and then Murphy flied out to end the inning.

On to the ninth and in an inning where Familia has been lights out throughout the whole postseason, he quickly retired Salvador Perez on two pitches, as he grounded out to shortstop. Then Alex Gordon, the longest tenured Royals player on the squad, took a 97 MPH sinker and golfed it over the center field fence to tie the game. Familiar retired the next to batters and it wa son to extras.

Each extra inning, was a thrill ride for both the fans and the players as each team battled to find a way to steal the victory.

First Wade Davis struck out the side in his half of the tenth, and the Mets then summoned on starter Jon Niese and he retired the side in order, ironically on his birthday.

In the 11th, the Mets put two men on, but Wright struck out to end the inning and the go ahead run on second. The Royals had their chance in the bottom of the frame, but Perez was stranded after a two out single.

Photo: Matt Slocum/AP

The Royals then turned to Game 4 starter Chris Young and the 6’10” right hander struck out the side in the top of the 12th. The Mets countered with 42-year-old Bartolo Colon and he quickly found himself in trouble after giving up a lead-off single to Paulo Orlando. After a sac bunt from Escobar moved Orlando to second, Zobrist was intentionally walked. Lorenzo Cain then grounded out to first base, and after intentionally walking Hosmer, Jarred Dyson flied out to end the threat.

In the 13th, the Mets were once again unable to scratch a run across the plate as they left Wilmer Flores stranded after a two out walk.

Colon working his second inning in relief, escaped another Royals threat as he allowed a lead-off single to Moustakas, but then retired the next three batters to end the inning.

On to the 14th inning, and the Mets continued to struggle at the plate as they were quickly retired in order on just five pitches resulting in a ground out and two fly outs.

The Royals finally got the break they were seeking, as Escobar reached to lead off the inning on a throwing error by Wright. Zobrist then singled to right sending Escobar to third. After the Mets intentionally walked Cain to load the bases, Hosmer hit a sac fl to right to score the winning run and take the first game of the series 5-4.

Game Notes:
Mets – 1 for 10 RISP, 11 LOB
Royals – 2 for 11 RISP, 13 LOB
Game time: 5 Hours
Game started on October 27th and ended on October 28th at 1:09 am.

Next Game:

Game 2 will be played on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 8:00 pm. The Mets will start their Ace, Jacob deGrom and the Royals will send Johnny Cueto to the mound.

Bethany is a Graduate of the University of South Florida and currently resides in Tampa. She is a die-hard Yankees' fan and has been a freelance writer for six years. She has covered the Yankees' Minor League System since 2010 and also does freelance work for Examiner.com and CBS Local Tampa Bay. Follow her on Twitter @TampaBethany